The invention is in the field of mobile equipment for servicing rail locomotives with fuel, sand, oil, and water. The mobile equipment comprises a motor vehicle or truck having fuel, water, oil, and sand accommodating tanks and pumps to transport fuel, water, and oil to a locomotive at a remote location or rail yard.
Railroad locomotives have large diesel engines that utilize substantial amount of diesel fuel, oil, and water. Sand is also used to improve the traction of the drive wheels of the locomotive on the tracks. When a locomotive requires fuel, it is common practice to cut the locomotive from the train cars and run it to a service pit. This takes time and increases the cost of rail services. The locomotive fuel vehicle of the invention provides all of the essential fuel, water, oil, and sand requirements for a locomotive without the need to cut and run the locomotive to a service pit.
The invention is an apparatus for servicing a railroad locomotive with fuel, oil, water, and sand with efficient, safe and cost-effective mobile equipment. The locomotive can be serviced in remote locations or in the yard without the need to cut and run the locomotive to a service pit. The apparatus of servicing a locomotive saves time, labor, and cost of railroad services.
The mobile equipment comprises a motor truck or lorry having a frame supporting a housing having a compartment containing tanks for storing diesel fuel, oil, water, and another compartment have a container storing sand and an air compressor for generating a supply of air used to move sand from the container to the sand hopper of a locomotive. Pumps mounted on the truck transfer fuel, oil, and water from the tanks to transfer hoses that carry the fuel, oil, and water to the locomotive. The controls for the pumps include ON-OFF valves and meters that measure the amount of fuel dispensed to the locomotive. Air under pressure from the air compressor carries sand through a hose to the sand hopper on the locomotive. Fuel and oil spill response equipment on the truck is used to clean the environment in the event that there is a fuel or oil spill. The locomotive has a sewage water holding tank. A sewage tank within the housing is connected to a pump used to pump sewage waste from the holding tank into the sewage tank.